Benihana Vegetable Tempura Recipes

BENIHANA VEGETABLE TEMPURA

Steps:

• Decide which kind of Tempura you are going to do and then prepare vegetables for frying.
• In a large mixing bowl, break the eggs into 1 cup ice water. Whisk quickly but not thoroughly. Add the rice flour all at once; mix until the batter is loosely combined. (If overmixed, the batter will be too heavy when deep-fried.).
• Heat 4 Cups of peanut oil on high in a wok or deep-fryer until almost smoking. Make the tempura in small batches.
• Toss the vegetables in a bowl with the additional flour. Dip vegetable in batter and deep-fry.
• NOTE - If the carrots are grated, take them up in clumps and dip them in the flour. You will then dip them in the batter to deep-fry them in clumps.
• Drain briefly on rack or paper towels, then serve immediately with warmed tempura dipping sauce mixed with grated ginger, served in individual bowls. (Tempura does not fry to a 'golden brown'. It will be almost a pasty white when done.).

VEGETABLE TEMPURA

Steps:

• Add all the flour to a bowl. With the handle of a spoon, or a chopstick, mix, and stir in the ice-cold water until the mixture is slightly thicker than buttermilk consistency. Make a point of not mixing thoroughly, as tempura is renowned for lumps of flour.
• Dip sliced vegetables (zucchini, onions, eggplants, carrots, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, string beans, broccoli, wild mushrooms, fresh herbs, and bok choy) any vegetables will work but these are the most commonly used) into the batter mixture and shake off any excess.
• Deep fry vegetables in a wok or deep fat fryer (you can use a frying pan if you do not have anything else, you just need about 7cm/3 inches of clean oil) at 200C/400F/Gas 6 until the batter is light golden in color and crisp. (Any large amounts of hot oil in a kitchen, especially in woks which are not always that sturdy, scare me, please be careful and do not leave the pan unattended.) Turn the vegetables at intervals to ensure that both sides are cooked equally and then fish them out with a slotted spoon, shaking off any excess oil. Place them on kitchen paper towels and eat as soon as possible. The reason that I keep going on about eating them so quickly is because as your hot cooked vegetables cool down inside the batter they begin to steam, making them less crisp as time goes on. Good tempura should be crispy and is one of those things that should be made and cooked quickly and eaten straight away.
• Pour the rice wine vinegar into a small bowl. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Taste for sweetness. Add cilantro, chile, and garlic and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and allow to sit for 10 minutes to 1 hour, for flavors to combine.;

BENIHANA SEAFOOD TEMPURA

Steps:

• Soak the shiitake mushrooms in a bowl of warm water for 15 minutes. Remove stems, then dry the mushroom caps with paper toweling. Slice each cap with an 'X'. Set the mushrooms aside.
• Cut the squid into either 1/2-inch rings or 1 x 3-inch sheets. (If the latter, lattice-cut the squid meat to prevent curling in the fryer.) Dry and set aside.
• Peel the carrot and shred with a grater. Set aside. Cut the green pepper into 1/4-inch slices. Remove seeds from inside the rings. Set aside. Slice the potato into 1/4-inch slices. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, break the eggs into 1 cup ice water. Whisk quickly but not thoroughly. Add the rice flour all at once; mix until the batter is loosely combined. (If overmixed, the batter will be too heavy when deep-fried.).
• Heat 4 Cups of peanut oil on high in a wok or deep-fryer until almost smoking. Make the tempura in small batches. Drain briefly on rack or paper towels, then serve immediately with warmed tempura dipping sauce mixed with grated ginger, served in individual bowls. (Tempura does not fry to a 'golden brown'. It will be almost a pasty white when done.).
• NOTE - The shredded carrots are most easily deep-fried by spooning an amount into the batter and then sliding the battered carrots into the deep-fryer.

VEGETABLE TEMPURA

Steps:

• Whisk light soy sauce, mirin, and dashi granules together in a bowl for the sauce; set aside.
• Whisk water and egg yolks together in a bowl until well combined. Sift in flour and whisk until just combined; batter will be a bit lumpy.
• Heat vegetable oil in a wok or a deep saucepan until very hot, but not smoking.
• Dip sweet potato, onion, bell pepper, green beans, and shiitake mushrooms one by one into the batter and transfer immediately into the hot oil. Deep-fry tempura in batches, making sure to not overcrowd the wok, until batter is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from oil and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil. Repeat until all vegetables have been used. Serve hot with dipping sauce.